WCF Game 1: Post-Game Thread
by Sideout11 on May 19, 2009 9:07 PM PDT
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PrintNow this is the Lakers team we have been waiting to see. They played what was far from a perfect game, but in the end they buckled down, got the stops, and hit so many huge shots I can't even begin to count them all. There were multiple heroes in this game from Fisher to Ariza to of course Kobe Bryant, and it was truly a team effort. I liked how physical the game was (although there were some calls that should have been made), and I loved how the Lakers did not back down. This is going to be an awesome series, and honestly this is what the playoffs are all about. Here is the box score and recap.
I'm on Cloud 9 right now, and I hope you guys are too. Can't wait until Thursday!
Go Purple & Gold!
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Wow, what a game.
Can’t say we “stole” it because we made some key plays down the stretch, but they really had their fingerprints all over this game for the first 45 minutes.
Winning the game with FTs isn’t glamorous and won’t go down in playoff history, but I liked that Kobe stopped with the jumpers, put his head down and drove in the most crucial Lakers possession.
Those images of Kobe and Melo spinning and doing battle, playing physical ball denial, are incredible.
My respect for Melo: through the roof. Completely took on the challenge of guarding Kobe and held his own, playing some damn great D at the end of that game.
Phil took criticism, so he should get props too. The thing I liked most was how he chose to play Billups. No half-a**ed strategy of trying Fish out on #7, he knew throttling Billups would take out a lot of their offense. Playing him with longer players in Kobe and, down the stretch, Ariza, was a great move.
I also liked the clear defensive strategy of sagging off the bigs. We stuck to guarding Chuck Hayes for way too long last series. We need to do a better job of finding Nene off the move, but I can live with K-Mart’s odd shotput-floaters.
Horrible refs
Melo was pushing the guys around so much, yet the refs were blind. While Chauncey Billups was inadvertently tripped and got a foul, JR Smith did a dirty trick and pulled out the chair. Kobe fell and then missed, and that kind of stuff happened over and over and over again.
RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09
Dunno, down 10 points in the 1st Quarter and shooting 42% for the game.... Not really the Lakers team I've been waiting to see...
That said, it was a good win in what has to be regarded as Denver’s best opportunity to “break serve.”
Now this is the Lakers team we have been waiting to see.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
To win despite those two glaring circumstances?
I’ll take that over the cakewalk offensively with out trying hard on the defensive end any day of the week.
Not exactly...
Their front line put up 68 points.
Pau was terrible defensively. Bynum was ineffective. And Carmelo was pretty much unstoppable.
Fortunately, Kobe was also unstoppable.
But this game was basically a draw and I’m not reading much into it.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I mean we got the stops when we needed to get, and when it looked like the Nuggets were going to pull away we caused turnovers or played good defense to get the stop.
They were tough down the stretch and you like to see that, for sure.
Was there even a close game in the Houston series? I don’t remember one…
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
timbo, the only way you will be wrong is if the lakers win the title
I see what you’re doing.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Really? Tell me, I'm not sure myself, ha ha.
Look, to win this series (as I expect they will), Denver needs to win 1/4 at LA — and hold serve in Denver.
I theorize that this was probably their BEST chance to win, based on unequal rest and preparation times.
I think Thursday’s game is their next best chance — and they will be in trouble if they don’t pull that one off.
The Lakers were excellent after the first quarter and I’m glad they won and all — but this was nothing but ONE home defense, a 2 point game. I’m not going to do somersaults over it… If they put 2 in a row in the bank, then they’ve got something going…
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
It was a great finish, for sure -- but the game was basically a coin toss with 1:30 to play...
It’s not like they poured it on and crushed them.
Still, a win is a win — and it was Denver that choked.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
And we really should not take those free throws by Kobe for granted
Even though it’s really easy to do so.
I kept telling myself, “He’s got to miss, he’s an 86% shooter, and he’s above that percentage right now”. But I was wrong.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions
and it was Denver that choked
I’ll respectfully disagree with that. I do not think the outcome of the game was due to some sort of Denver Nugget self-destruction. The Nuggets played a hell of a game, and saying that Denver “chokoed” is to discount what was an awesome effort on the court by both teams last night.
2009 LA Kings Hockey: thanks to Joe Sakic's snowblower, WE'RE BETTER THAN THE AV'S!!!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on May 20, 2009 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions
After some contemplation, the theme tomorrow should be "Winning covers up a multitude of sins"
Truth be told, I think the Nuggets deserved to win this game. They missed a ton of free throws. Credit the Lakers for coming up big down the stretch, but at practice tomorrrow, Phil and Kobe should come down on the team as if they had lost the game.
As Tex Winters said “Everything turns on a trifle”.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions
What I mean Timbo
Is that by saying the Lakers are not a title team, you get three chances to be right, starting with Houston.
If they lose to Denver, you will be right they are not a title team.
Then if they beat Denver and lose to Cleveland, then you are still right.
It’s like taking the field.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Definately the Lakers team we’ve been waiting to see.
The scary part is they didn’t even play their best game, lots of room for improvement.
True but the Nugs didnt either
Billups was relatively in check. He got his numbers, but he didnt’ run the offense the way he normally does. Smith didn’t really go off either.
Very true
That’s what I said in my above post too, I absolutely loved the defense on Billups. Phil deserves a lot of props for his matchups, putting longer players on Billups.
Our bench kept us in this game especially early on when the starters coudln’t make anything. Lots of point production from some of the bench guys early on. Kobe did a good job containing Billups. I still think that Lamar should defend Melo a bit more than Ariza does just because Melo has so much weight over Ariza.
Kobe only played 34 minutes, seemed like he was in the game a lot longer. That’s how you know Kobe made his presence felt because it felt like he was in the game for much longer.
When we needed a few stops Gasol got that block and got the offensive rebound. Besides that he didn’t make much of a stamp on this game, none the less he came through when we needed it.
Ariza is really developing. I hope we can keep him in the off-season.
And Denver shouldn’t have even been that close late in the game because he stepped out of bounds on that 3.
Great game. We showed a lot of heart gutting out the win, even when it seemed like Denver had all the answers. We did what we needed to do to get a win.
Everyone contributed in different spurts of the game (besides Kobe who was constant throughout), which helped us pull out the win.
by intuitive on May 19, 2009 9:11 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Bench was great
Nuggets could have pulled away, but the bench more than held their own. C’mon Sasha, get it together!!
But improving
I liked that he tried to impact the game in other ways, hustling after loose balls, trying (unsuccessfully) to drive. He needs to do more of that, diversify his game instead of chucking up the same shots he’s been missing for a year.
Agree with Intuitive...
The bench’s play in the second quarter is what helped the Lakers get back into the game and make it interesting. For the first time this postseason, the Lakers’ Reserves were big-time difference makers.
2009 LA Kings Hockey: thanks to Joe Sakic's snowblower, WE'RE BETTER THAN THE AV'S!!!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on May 20, 2009 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah I'm on Cloud 9 also
I knew Kobe Bryant was key because Denver has noone to guard him, Kobe took over this game, made plays offensively and defensively and our bench stepped up big time. A game where Bynum was in foul trouble and a game where Pau was out muscled the Lakers found away to win and it started with Kobe.
NBA.com has Kobe as 34:34
http://www.nba.com/games/20090519/DENLAL/boxscore.html
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Gotta be wrong
Kobe didn’t even rest at the start of the 4th. The only break he had was that 4-5 minute break at the beginning of the 2nd.
Here's the definitive answer
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20090519&game=DENLAL
Kobe played the entire 2nd half. 43 minutes on the game
You guys can do the math
Add up all the players’ times. It should add up to 5 times 48 minutes = 240 minutes.
Wow George Karl is like a vegetable in post game interview.........
took like 45 seconds to start to answer first question. He looked like he was going to cry. Not picking on him, but he really looked like it.
"Don't I know you from somewhere"?. "Nah, that ain't me, I'm from Buffalo" - Axel Foley
1st quarter probably
we really got back in it with the bench, and then it was pretty even from then on
+9 for walton........so don't put too much stock in the +/-
"Don't I know you from somewhere"?. "Nah, that ain't me, I'm from Buffalo" - Axel Foley
Walton made a three? He must have been wide open
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
He was pretty wide open kind of like a half way contest.. Before the three though he missed wide open jumpers…
How can he miss wide open jumpers while making a 3 from the corner that was half-way contested? He boggles my mind.
Speaking of Walton
I think J.R. Smith is most analogous to Walton on the Nuggets, in that they both take and give away points. I was groaning for Nuggets fans when Smith would pass the ball to nobody, straight out of bounds.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Wow that is weird
Maybe because Kobe was sitting out when the Lakers really closed the gap and made a run in the 2nd quarter? He played nearly the entire game, and the Nugs were up big early, and then he wasn’t on the court for that first run.
That’s the best I’ve got. That is a really weird stat.
Stats just dont tell the whole story.
by intuitive on May 19, 2009 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
Tell Hollinger (and a lot of bloggers) that
And Pau had 13 points and 14 rebounds
But boy did he ever underachieve for most of the game!
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah exactly
That’s why looking at a box score can be so misleading. And it’s why I love “Behind the Box Score” from Dwyer.
But I do agree with you
That defensive stop by standing in Carmelo’s path was gigante.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions
No one should complain after this
But does anyone else`not like the 6 minutes Shannon Brown got? The guy seems to do so well. I guess Fish came through in the end, but Brown wouldn’t have started the game 0-6 trying to create his own offense.
I just like Brown’s game so much, but I guess there’s only so many minutes to divvy up.
and got more free throws.
But we out-rebounded them 46 – 37.
and made 3 more 3’s.
Because we outrebounded them we got 16 more shot attempts then them.
Good call
I was just looking over the box score, trying to figure that out. Our % was lower but our FGAs was way up.
And the FTs were essentially a wash because they missed so many, about 20 made for each of us.
This pace is so much more conducive to the Lakers game
They can always get back in the game.
If the Nuggets knew how to revert to “Houston Rockets” mode when the got a big lead, the Lakers would not be able to crawl back.
The Lakers just don’t have to play as much defense when the Nuggets are coming down and shooting quick shots.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Did you love the announcers talking about how the Nuggets wanted to push the tempo because it didn’t fit the Lakers style. They also said that we wanted to play at a slower pace…..
Gotta love the media
I think it was JVG that said it. Sometimes JVG has some good points and calls it the way he sees it, which you gotta give props to.
Mack Jackson, on the other hand, is a tool.
I agree with you all the way
Shannon Brown is a knock down shooter, teams double team Kobe Shannon will knock down shots, I like his game and I wish he did get more minutes
Wow, just finished the game on DVR
I was sweating bullets while you guys were celebrating (or at least sighing with relief).
This game should be title “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”, because the Lakers took all that Denver could give, including a monster game from Carmelo Anthony, and still came away with the win.
Kudos for Kobe for his defense on Chauncey Billups, and his valiant efforts to guard Carmelo Anthony in the post, who is much too big for him, or so it would seem.
I can see the sportwriters having to rip up their drafts focusing on Carmelo’s game, furiously rewriting to meet their deadlines and change the slant of their stories.
I was a little disturbed by the shrinking of Pau Gasol, along with his notoriously unclutch free throw shooting.
Fisher came through when we needed him.
I hope Nuggets fans aren’t complaining about the officiating, because there were some missed calls on the Lakers side as well, including goaltending by Kenyon Martin, and Billups stepping on the last before he hit his last three.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Actually
-I liked Pau’s aggressiveness. He was weak on the FTs, but defensively he made a couple of big plays. Most of all, he was active, blocking a shot and then moving his feet when Melo had Kobe beat and drawing a charge. He didn’t shy away from the big moment.
-I don’t think that was the Nuggets best shot. Billups is the engine that gets others’ easy points. Phil did a great job with matchups, putting bigger defenders on him. He got his numbers, but for most of the game (except for a few Nene rolls) his impact wasn’t there. Hopefully this was due to our defense and will continue.
-JR Smith was held in check too. He can go off in an instant, and when he’s hot he’s as dangerous as anyone on the floor.
Our defense played a large part in this, but I do think that the Nugs can make adjustments and come at us even harder.
But with Bynum so limited, I don’t think that was our best shot either. We need to work on our post-entry passes, passing over fronting, and I think we’ll really pound them even harder inside.
Oh not the Lakers best at all
So I thought it was great that Anthony to had an awesome game in a loss for Denver. Unlikely that he’ll have two such nights in a row, so that bodes well.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah both sides had stuff that they could do better no doubt but....
Kobe Bryant the one thing that Denver can’t control and have no answer for, he will be the only consistant thing in the Lakers favor so anything Denver puts out we can throw Kobe at it.
Don't forget about K-mart
It’s much more doubtful that he will have another game like this than Melo.
by C.A. Clark on May 19, 2009 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was happy every time he would take those
And then shocked when they went in
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Happy yet worried
The Lakers continue to play a large rotation, with everybody but Mbegna getting some game time. I’m concerned that some of our players, like Brown and Farmar, start to get heated up and then boom… they’re on the bench.
I’m also concerned that for a while Luke was getting more touches down in the post than Pau.
The game would have been closer, but both Nene and Kenyon got multiple dunks/lay ups on horrible defense during the first half.
I’d like to see the Lakers stop crying, throwing their hands up in the air, and acting like babies when they don’t get a call. They showed big time playoff resilience tonight, they don’t need the additional BS.
Finally, somebody please shake Lamar and Bynum awake. I liked how Andrew played the first quarter, but … he just kind of disappeared. Same with Lamar. Those boys need to put their heads down and tough up!
Let’s see if the Lakers come out hot on Thursday. They’re tired, but I think ready.
Go Lakers!
As long as he doesn't rack up the technicals, I don't mind Kobe "crying"
It’s all about working the refs.
You won’t see Kobe complaining after the game is done, even in a loss, so that would further indicate that it’s for game purposes.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions
True, I respect Kobe, but he cried A LOT that game. It feeds the rest of our guys, and soon you see Bynum, Lamar, Jack Nicholson, the Laker Girls, etc getting in on the act.
I'm biased.
Let me start off with that headline.
But Lamar is frequently out of control, and Bynum just needs to accept that he’s a rook in the eyes of the refs.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I did enjoy seeing emotion on Bynum's face for the first time
If confused/incredulous is an emotion
Lamar really was out of control. There were times in the 4th quarter where he forced the action when the best decision would have been to pass it to an open Trevor Ariza waiting right there.
You can’t really fault him that much though because at least Lamar is getting into the moment of the game whereas in years past, he would have disappeared entirely.
Melo's a beast
I have a ton of respect after watching him man up on defense like that. Finally the younger crowd (Lebron, Melo, Wade) have gotten it about leading on the defensive end.
How many years did it take Kobe to have that dedication?
So now what will be the stat about how many shots is too many for Kobe?
He took 28 in a win tonight.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
If the Lakers would of lost by one point
I guarantee that someone would of came out and said Kobe shot too much!
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on May 19, 2009 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Kobe Hater Nation
Is like a bunch of cockroaches, just waiting to rush out when the lights turn off, but when the Lakers pull out the win, it’s like the light turning on and they scurry away back into the darkness.
I probably concern myself to much with KHN, but what can I say, they get on my nerves. Just because I think Kobe is the best player doesn’t mean I idolize him. I think he is the best because of his commitment, skill, and talent.
End of rant.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions
All I am going to say about Kobe: He is in his 13th NBA season and He has played non stop the last two years with last years run to the finals and then off to the Olympics in Beijing and then all 82 games this year. With all that he was still able to play every minute in the second half and score 18 of his 40 in the fourth quarter. The media can take Lebron and he is great but when push comes to shove and it’s a close game in the fourth, my guy will always be KOBE!
I wonder how they’ll twist this one around
Just as impressive as Bryant’s scoring was his defense, especially since he seemed to rotate among Denver’s primary scorers whenever one of them threatened to get it going. When Ariza picked up his fourth foul guarding Anthony midway through the third quarter, Bryant told his teammate he’d guard the Denver star the rest of the way, limiting him to nine points in the last 18 minutes.
"Once I sensed we didn’t have that energy, I took it upon myself to lead by example," Bryant said. "Melo got hot, Trevor was in foul trouble, so it’s just part of my responsibilities to the team."
http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_web_only_lakers_20.3f66a7e.html
I thought Kobe was toast when he started guarding Melo
But the refs really let both of them get physical, and Kobe really maximized his strengths despite his size and weight disadvantage to Melo. A very nice job by Kobe.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Kobe is a good defender and those that say he is an “over-rated” defender say this because they have never watched him defend against guys that pose challenges. For example today defending Billups he did a superb job staying with him and denying him the ball.
Some people have never WATCHED Kobe truly defend guys. When Kobe wants to he can play defense as well anybody
I'll try to twist it around
Although Bryant scored a game high 40 points, he needed 28 shots and an abundance of free throws to get to that point. However, Kobe was only ordinary on the defensive end of the game. After sensing the opponent’s premier scorer had started to cool down, Bryant promptly switched over to guarding Carmelo Anthony after the Denver star was worn down by Trevor Ariza.
When Kobe Bryant takes 35 or more shots, the Lakers lose.
Probably something like that, according to Hollinger and company.
haha I mean that's almost a joke, you know? When Kobe takes 45 or more they win!
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Seriously, one of these days they'll put up a stat that says when Kobe scores 81 pts or more
the Lakers are undefeated.
Right after the game I checked to see if he had taken 30 shots because I knew you would be bringing it up (-; Hahah
Trust me, I was using it when Kobe shot 4-12 last game
But scored 14 points
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I just have to add to this because It is so upsetting..
Kobe and Melo go off tonite and on ESPN they do their nightly top 10 plays of the day and their number 2 play of the night is Lebron playing games in Cleveland hitting a shot while he is sitting on the floor. Above that, no mention or top 10 play for tonites game.
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on May 19, 2009 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Team defense was great!
now if we can only get one more player to step offensively. Either way, the Lakers height will continue to bother Denver.
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on May 19, 2009 9:41 PM PDT reply actions
The biggest anomaly of all in the whole game was this
Chauncey Billups missed 3 free throws.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Chauncey Billups does not miss 3 free throws.
Conspiracy theorists should not look at the refs, instead they should be investigating Chauncey Billups, because that just does not happen. I had to rewind it just to make sure I saw what I saw.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Those rims are awesome. Houston couldn't hit to save their lives either...
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
From Broderick Turner LA Times
Bryant was called for a technical foul in the third quarter. He now has five technical fouls during the postseason. If Bryant gets two more technical fouls, he’ll be suspended for one game.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
The lakers really came up big on blocked shots tonight.
I wasn’t surprised by the 8 the nugs had tonight, but just checking and seeing the 9 the Lakers had is pretty impressive. Blocked shots are a funky stat obviously, but with the Lakers being man-handled by the nugs three post players it’s a healthy stat none the less because 6 of them came from our bigs.
If you want a good laugh
The headline of this article is “NBA – Three bad calls in final minutes gift Lakers a win over the Nuggets”
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
That is funny!!
I’m assuming it’s a 12-year-old with a bad case of sour grapes. Didn’t seem to mention very little getting called in the paint in the Lakers favor. And Billups stepping on the line before he hit that last three.
That's so freakin awesome.
My favorite line
“Corruption and ball calls among NBA refs are legion— and last minute calls altered the course of the game, despite earlier balance in referrring.” I don’t know what’s better, that they thought the refereeing was fair for most of the game, or that they actually published a word with three r’s in it.
Nope, they were “playoff” intensity calls. If you ask those writers, they will say that the Lakers weren’t playing physical enough so those calls were irrelevant.
Well the calls in the final minutes were legit. One was because Kobe’s defender reached in (dumb decision by him), the next Kobe got fouled because he drove into the lane and got hammered, the next they intentionally fouled him. Whatever there will always be the whiners.
I never buy into the fact that “the refs gave (insert team here) the game” Most of the calls were in Denvers favor for much of the game. Eh.
Seriously some of the writers that have been writing about us these playoffs have stunk and at times seemed like they haven’t even WATCHED any of the games….
Really? I thought he went to interview for the 76ers job and nothing of the Kings
and it would really be wrong to let him go.
The ideal move would be to keep Rambis at all costs because he should be the successor when PJ retires. It is not a good idea to keep switching systems. Plus, you gotta keep the tradition going.
How come? I think Rambis is a good coach and because he has extensive knowledge of the triangle, we wouldn’t have to scrap everything and start all over. He’d be well received in Los Angeles because of who he is and the players will already be familiar with the system.
Just my opinion. There aren’t many good coaches out there that are available.
Give Brian Shaw a shot!
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I know there aren’t many options out there and he probably would be the best out of our options, but whenever I watch him interact with players or during time-outs he looks unsure of what he’s doing. Remember that Portland road game where Phil didn’t go so Rambis coached. (It was Rambis right?) He just seemed like he didn’t really know what to do and was sloppy with the line-ups. Also it seemed as if he didn’t know when to call a timeout and when one wasn’t necessary.
Yeah that was Kurt but we shouldn’t really judge based on that one performance. After all, we never win in Portland anyways.
Also, I found this line funny because it reminds me of what they used to say about Phil Jackson.
He just seemed like he didn’t really know what to do and was sloppy with the line-ups. Also it seemed as if he didn’t know when to call a timeout and when one wasn’t necessary.
Anyone see Odom's outfit after the game.
All I could think of was Woody from Toy Story.
"Don't I know you from somewhere"?. "Nah, that ain't me, I'm from Buffalo" - Axel Foley
It is if you're trying to blend into.........
Westworld.
A nod to anyone that gets that one.
"Don't I know you from somewhere"?. "Nah, that ain't me, I'm from Buffalo" - Axel Foley
Watch out for the killer robots, Lamar!!!
Gotta love the classics.
by wearecb4life on May 20, 2009 1:18 AM PDT up reply actions
And I liked that Bynum wasn’t giving up those easy lay-ups in the paint. If they were to close to the rim to try and block he would intentionally foul them so they would have to earn it at the stripe. Then if they were a little farther out he would use his length and contest, which makes the opposition alter their shots.
"There were a couple of bad calls, but the last two I had to foul," Bynum said. "We were down in the game. I couldn’t give up an easy layup."
If only Pau could take on some of this mentality
That's where Bynum makes a big difference
He alters the shots of the opposing guards if they get by the perimeter defense. I remember Billups missing one because of Bynum.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on May 19, 2009 11:12 PM PDT up reply actions
He altered Smith’s shot as well, if my memory is correct. He’s good at making sure the opposition KNOWS he’s there.. If that makes any sense. It seems he knows when to foul and when to just make his presence felt and alter a shot.
He just needs to get a lot of his timing down and stop with the quick fouls that are unwarranted. Especially fouls away from the ball
He has a really high ceiling, and could become one of the best centers in the league. He works hard, was getting really good post position and didn’t force anything. Once he gets smarter he will be unstoppable. That’s why I don;t think it would be a gigantic loss if the Lakers couldn’t retain Odom in the future
by runningdonut on May 19, 2009 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions
I think that Odom will resign in the off season. To tell you the truth I’m not really worried about who we resign and who we don’t. Mitch Kupchak and Buss will make the right decisions (or so I hope)
A lot of it rests on whether we win the championship or not. I’m sure we’d be much more reluctant to resign both Odom and Ariza if we do not win this year, if we do well the off season will be an interesting one.
It was a really good game
I made a fanpost over on Pickaxe, and I am pretty drained after watching that, but not disappointed. Kobe went out and won a game, it showed why he is the best closer. I hope more people come to respect the player that Melo has become. I hope the rest of the series is that fun to watch. To the victor goes the spoils though, so cheers to the Lakers.
The Clippers didn’t just win th first pick. They won the second pick too! The first four ball combination was 5, 3, 6, 10. Bingo. Clippers get the top pick. The second combination was 5, 6, 3, 4. Also the Clippers! The balls were placed back in the machine for a do-over, which went to the Grizzlies. I don’t know what the chances are of this happening (the Clippers had about a 17% chance each of getting the first and second picks) but it has to be about as likely as a power outage, which as I’ll explain would have been a lot more fun.
How crazy is that?
Kobe promises he wont get another T
In the postgame interview “I won’t get another one. I won’t get another one”
And I believe him
but expect someone to step up in his absence like Odom or Fisher (look out Birdman, he’s watching you) and pick up a few Ts on Kobe’s half. The Lakers cannot afford to let the Nuggets (or Cavs, should it get that far) to play with more emotion then us
Nothing to do but chain smoke and drink coffee after a loss like that.
Kudos to laker nation for a win tonight, was a blast of a game to watch. The battle between Kobe and Melo tonight was incredibly enjoyable and I really cannot wait to see that grow over the next few games. See you guys on thursday! Damn, love the NBA, even after a toughhhhh loss like that.
by herewereyouwish on May 19, 2009 11:56 PM PDT reply actions
Ariza was the primary culprit in surrendering 39 points to Carmelo Anthony (14-for-20 shooting), but he protected a 101-99 Lakers lead with his third steal of the game.
“That was a huge play for us,” said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, usually not one to use superlatives, though Ariza’s effort probably warranted such an assessment.
Always one to downplay his achievements, the low-key Ariza said Bryant should be credited for his defense on Anthony on the inbounds play, forcing Carter to try to lob the ball to Billups before the referees could call a five-second count.
Then Ariza gave the equivalent of a verbal shrug.
“He threw the ball with enough air for me to get it,” Ariza said. “That’s all.”
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-nuggets20-2009may20,0,961287.story
Can you believe we got Ariza for Cook and Evans?
funny how no one even talks...
about Kobe’s defense on Melo. It’s like a whole new level of intangibles: “what the cameras aren’t zoomed in on”.
In case you didn't watch the game...
Melo scored most of his total in the first half, mainly with Ariza on him . Kobe limited him to 9 points in the last 18 minutes while guarding him after TA picked up 3 fouls. He went to work there’s nothing you can take away from him.
this is a good article as well
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers20-2009may20,0,664657.column?page=1
Plaschke automatically = not a good article
His flair for melodrama (and one sentence paragraphs) drives me nuts.
by wearecb4life on May 20, 2009 1:20 AM PDT up reply actions
I thought we were done with Houston...
JR Smith did a good Ron Artest impersonation, jacking up threes, making bonehead plays and turning the ball over. All kidding aside, Game 2 is the key to the series. If we can sustain one more Nuggets attack and take a 2-0 lead, it’s over. It’ll leave the Nuggets gasping for air in the Mile High City with all the pressure on them to perform well. And we all know that they’ll simply crack at the seams and implode into a messy puddle of ink.
At some point in this game I said “JR’s the new Von Wafer,” with the latter’s penchant for making a really awesome athletic play and then using it as a license to be a moron for the rest of the game.
by wearecb4life on May 20, 2009 1:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Let's not forget we got kinda lucky in this game.
We owe a huge debt to our bench from Walton, Vujacic, Ariza, Odom and company for getting us back in the game.
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